Sweet Dreams 1(17)

“But you said them, I heard them and those are the consequences. No taking it back, no shaking it off, no letting it go. It happened. I deal and move on and maybe you’d do me the courtesy of shutting up about it.”

He walked from behind the bar and toward me and I watched him do it while forcing my body to stay where it was and not take a step back or, better yet, flee.

He stopped a foot away and looked down at me. I saw, that close to him, he didn’t have dark brown eyes. They were dark brown but they had tawny flecks in them that made them even more interesting.

Great, the lucky jerk was even luckier.

“I’m a silent partner,” he declared.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“Me. I’m a silent partner,” he repeated.

I tipped my head to the side and felt my brows draw together. “So?”

Tate threw a hand out to indicate the bar. “I look silent to you?”

Considering he was clearly my bartender that day and he was changing kegs, the answer to that would be no.

Instead I said, “And?”

“Deal was, I put in the money because Krys and Bubba didn’t have the cake to take this on but I wasn’t involved. I just get my piece and I do my own thing. Five years, Ace, I find more often than not I usually gotta wade in. Bubba’s off fishin’ and Krystal’s always hirin’ folk who suck. Tonia and Jonelle both make an art outta being the worst waitresses in history. They’re here to socialize, when they drag there asses in that is. I got shit to do and I ain’t doin’ it ‘cause I’m here, ‘cause I gotta keep an eye on my investment, ‘cause Bubba’s a moron and Krystal’s tryin’ her best but she can’t do it on her own. That pisses me off. Bubba’s gone again and I got pissed again and you bore the brunt of that. It was an asshole remark; I said it and didn’t mean it. I get pissed I say a lotta shit I don’t mean. Now you know that, you need to shake it off.”

Maybe for him it could be that easy. For me, it was not.

“I appreciate that but you’re old enough to know better. You’re old enough to know words have power and to use them wisely. You’re angry at Bubba, take potshots at him, not some woman you don’t know.”

“Like I said, when I get pissed I say a lotta shit I don’t mean and what I said about you I didn’t mean,” he repeated, beginning to look as impatient as he sounded.

“And like I said, you’re old enough to learn you shouldn’t do that,” I repeated too, probably also looking impatient.

“That isn’t me,” he replied.

“Well, then, this obviously is eating you and that’s your consequence because I have feelings and you walked all over them and you can’t order me to shake it off so you can feel better. It’s there, burned in my brain and I can’t just forget it because you tell me to. So you have to live with that. You can’t and want me gone, say it now because I’m beginning to like Betty and I met Shambles and Sunny and I’m having dinner with them tomorrow night and I’d rather not make ties when I’m going to need to hit the road because my boss is going to get rid of me.”

“Shambles and Sunny?” he asked.

“Shambles and Sunny,” I answered but didn’t share more. “Now, can we just move on and do our best to work together and all other times avoid each other or do you want me to go?”

He moved forward an inch and I again fought the urge to retreat.

“Forgiveness is divine,” he said softly and I’d never heard him talk soft. He had a very nice voice but when it went soft, it was beautiful.

This also sucked.

“I’m not divine,” I returned. “I’m also not Ace and I’m not Babe. I’m Lauren. You don’t like my name, don’t call me anything at all. Now can I clean the danged table?”

I had my head tipped back to look him in the eye but I could tell he was expending effort to hold his whole body still.

Then he said in that soft voice, “I’m sorry, Ace.”

“Me too,” I replied instantly being clear I didn’t accept his apology which wasn’t a nice thing to do but then again, I was trying out this not being nice thing and I found that what he said hurt so much I could do it so I was going to go with it. “Now can I get back to work?”

He moved so he was far less than foot away and edging into my space.

“Krys told me your story,” he said quietly and I sighed but didn’t speak. “You bust your husband’s balls like this?”

I felt my innards seize and it didn’t feel very nice.

Then I asked, “Are you pissed now? Is that the reason for the latest asshole remark?”